The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament bracket was unveiled Sunday, awarding No. 1 seeds to Duke Blue Devils men's basketball, Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Michigan Wolverines men's basketball, and Florida Gators men's basketball as the 68-team field prepares to begin the annual postseason tournament.

The top seedings were widely expected heading into Selection Sunday. Michigan was briefly projected as the No. 2 overall team but dropped to No. 3 after losing the Big Ten championship game to the Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball just moments before the bracket announcement. Tournament selection committee chairman Keith Gill said the result played a role in the final ordering of the top teams.

One of the biggest storylines from the selection show involved Miami RedHawks men's basketball, which narrowly secured an at-large bid as an 11 seed despite questions about its strength of schedule. The RedHawks finished the regular season with a 31–1 record but ranked 339th nationally in schedule strength, making them one of the final teams admitted to the field.

Miami (Ohio) will face the SMU Mustangs men's basketball in a First Four play-in game on Wednesday in Dayton. The tournament begins Tuesday with additional play-in matchups, including another 11-seed contest between the Texas Longhorns men's basketball and the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball.

The national championship will be decided at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 6.

Several notable teams were left out of the tournament field entirely, including San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball, Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball, Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball, and Auburn Tigers men's basketball. Auburn’s omission drew criticism from Bruce Pearl, who argued the Tigers played one of the toughest schedules in the country and deserved consideration despite their 16 losses.

Conference representation again highlighted the growing influence of the sport’s largest leagues. The Southeastern Conference led all conferences with 10 teams in the bracket, followed by the Big Ten Conference with nine. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 Conference each placed eight teams in the tournament field.

Defending national champion Florida enters the tournament hoping to repeat last season’s success after the Gators were part of a rare all-No. 1 seed Final Four, the first time all four top seeds reached the semifinal round in 17 years.

The committee also weighed injuries in its decisions. North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball dropped to a No. 6 seed after losing star forward Caleb Wilson to a broken thumb, while injuries also affected the seeding of Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball.

As teams prepare to begin tournament play this week, the 2026 edition of March Madness once again sets the stage for college basketball’s most unpredictable postseason.